Suffolknewb
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- May 25, 2024
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What type of stone is this? Found up washed up on Suffolk beach ?!?
🔎 UNIDENTIFIED What kind is this? So unusual
- Thread starter Suffolknewb
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It is a water-worn piece of what is known as conglomerate, made up of gravel and sand mixed with calcium carbonate (probably derived from the deterioration of sea shells) to form a naturally-occurring rock very similar to man-made concrete. It is commonly found on sea shores and river mouths.
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Back-of-the-boat
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Looks like coprolite. Dinosaur poop.
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TheCannonballGuy
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Speaking as a college-years Geology minor and rockhound:
Conglomerate usually shows more "matrix" (i.e. cement) between the aggregate stones. To my eye, this rock looks more like an Agate whose outer matrix has been almost completely eroded away.... in the case of Suffolknewb's find, by ocean surf tumbling.
Similar-looking stones are often found in the rocky surf which endlessly pounds the shores of Lake Superior, which is world-famous for its varieties of Banded-Agate.
One of the photos attached below shows a particular variety of agate called Lake Superior agate. In that photo, the agates shown are partially broken-open (by natural surf-tumbling) but still PARTIALLY enclosed in their original outer matrix of "base material." Note in particular the one at upper left, which to my eye resembles Suffolknewb's find, but showing only a little banding here and there.
Suffolknewb, you might spend some enjoyable hours websearch for images of Lake Superior agates. But remember, what you've got is completely in its natural "raw" state -- not human-polished nor machine-tumbled.
The other photo shows another variety, called Crazy Lace agate, all of which have been professionally and "completely" tumble-polished.
PS ... Wetting a "raw" agate almost always increases the intensity of its colors. That is why they are very often given a extremely long-time tumbling inside a Tumbler-Mill, because the resulting super-smoothness closely resembles wetness.
Conglomerate usually shows more "matrix" (i.e. cement) between the aggregate stones. To my eye, this rock looks more like an Agate whose outer matrix has been almost completely eroded away.... in the case of Suffolknewb's find, by ocean surf tumbling.
Similar-looking stones are often found in the rocky surf which endlessly pounds the shores of Lake Superior, which is world-famous for its varieties of Banded-Agate.
One of the photos attached below shows a particular variety of agate called Lake Superior agate. In that photo, the agates shown are partially broken-open (by natural surf-tumbling) but still PARTIALLY enclosed in their original outer matrix of "base material." Note in particular the one at upper left, which to my eye resembles Suffolknewb's find, but showing only a little banding here and there.
Suffolknewb, you might spend some enjoyable hours websearch for images of Lake Superior agates. But remember, what you've got is completely in its natural "raw" state -- not human-polished nor machine-tumbled.
The other photo shows another variety, called Crazy Lace agate, all of which have been professionally and "completely" tumble-polished.
PS ... Wetting a "raw" agate almost always increases the intensity of its colors. That is why they are very often given a extremely long-time tumbling inside a Tumbler-Mill, because the resulting super-smoothness closely resembles wetness.
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